SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Residents who live near the Tijuana River Valley can win an air purifier to get rid of the stench and potentially harmful air that comes from the raw sewage that flows in from Mexico on a daily basis.

San Diego County residents have until Aug. 14 to register to enter a lottery for an air purifier.

Paloma Aguirre, mayor of Imperial Beach, the American city most affected by the sewage problem, said 40 million gallons of sewage-tainted water is currently flowing in the Tijuana River Valley.

“The conditions that people have to live in every day are deplorable,” she said. “These odors continue to worsen and make people sick.”

Aguirre says state and federal officials have ignored residents in south San Diego and noted the response to an 80,000-gallon sewage spill at Lake Tahoe.

“It seemed the world was ending,” she said. “I wish we had the same urgency from our state administration because our communities in south county are being harmed by this pollution and we need more assistance. The $100K is not going to cut it.”

Aguirre was referring to the $100,000 the County of San Diego is investing in the air purifiers for residents.

Aguirre said the money falls well short of the required amount to buy one for every household in the area necessitating the need for a lottery.

“Protecting public health, especially the elderly, the vulnerable, immunocompromised should be a priority,” she said. “While $100K is a great start, it’s not nearly enough, there’s a lot of funding that could’ve been redirected to this program it needs more.”

County Supervisor Nora Vargas has been spearheading the air purifier program.

Through a statement she said she is proud of this pilot program and hopes to do more in the future.

“I brought forward this initiative to provide immediate relief to our families who have long endured the severe impacts of pollution,” Vargas said. “While we continue to work with federal, state, and local partners on comprehensive, long-term solutions, these air purifiers represent our ongoing effort to improve daily lives — I am committed to continuing these efforts and addressing this crisis. I appreciate the community’s patience and support as we move forward.” 

Residents have until Aug. 14 to register for the air purifier lottery. They can enter their names and addresses in the County of San Diego website.